What Syllogism Questions Test
- Basic two-statement syllogisms
- Multi-statement chains (three or more premises)
- Possibility conclusions ("can be true")
- Either-or (complementary pair) cases
Question bank coverage by sub-pattern
How Syllogism Appears in RRB NTPC
Syllogism is part of the General Intelligence & Reasoning section (30% of the RRB NTPC syllabus).
Syllogism Solved Examples for RRB NTPC
12 exam-pattern syllogism questions from the practice bank, each with a full solution.
Statements: All dogs are animals. All animals are living beings. Conclusions: I. All dogs are living beings. II. All living beings are dogs.
- A.Only Conclusion I followsCorrect
- B.Only Conclusion II follows
- C.Both I and II follow
- D.Neither I nor II follows
Solution
All dogs are animals, and all animals are living beings. By transitivity, all dogs are living beings (Conclusion I follows). However, we cannot conclude that all living beings are dogs — there are many living beings that are not dogs (Conclusion II does not follow).
Statements: All A are B. Some B are C. All C are D. No D is E. Conclusions: I. Some B are D. II. No A is E. III. Some C are B. Choose the correct conclusion.
- A.Only I and II follow
- B.Only II and III follow
- C.Only I and III follow
- D.All I, II and III followCorrect
Solution
I. Since some B are C and all C are D, it follows that some B are D. II. Since all A are B, all C are D and no D is E, then no A is E. III. Given that some B are C, it's also true that some C are B. Hence, all three conclusions follow.
Statements: All apples are bananas. All bananas are oranges. Some oranges are grapes. All grapes are mangoes. Conclusions: I. Some mangoes are oranges. II. All apples are oranges. III. Some grapes are bananas. IV. All mangoes are apples.
- A.Only I and II followCorrect
- B.Only II and III follow
- C.Only I, II and III follow
- D.Only I and IV follow
Solution
Given: All apples are bananas, All bananas are oranges, Some oranges are grapes, All grapes are mangoes. I. 'Some mangoes are oranges' - True. All grapes are mangoes, and some oranges are grapes, so some mangoes are oranges. II. 'All apples are oranges' - True. All apples are bananas, and all bananas are oranges, so all apples are oranges. III. 'Some grapes are bananas' - Not necessarily true. Only some oranges are grapes, but we can't conclude that some grapes are bananas. IV. 'All mangoes are apples' - Not necessarily true. All grapes are mangoes, but there's no link to suggest all mangoes are apples.
Statements: All pens are books. Some books are copies. No copy is a page. Conclusions: I. Some pens being pages is a possibility. II. Some books being pages is a possibility. Which of the following conclusions does NOT possibly follow?
- A.Only I
- B.Only II
- C.Both I and II
- D.Neither I nor IICorrect
Solution
Statements: All pens are books. Some books are copies. No copy is a page. Conclusion I: Some pens being pages is a possibility. Since all pens are books, and some books are copies, and no copy is a page, pens cannot be pages. Thus, the possibility of pens being pages does not exist. Conclusion II: Some books being pages is a possibility. Since some books are copies and no copy is a page, those books that are copies cannot be pages. However, some books are not copies, and therefore could potentially be pages. The part of books which are copies, cannot be pages. Thus the possibility of books being pages does not exist. Therefore, neither I nor II does NOT possibly follow.
Which statement represents a Universal Negative (E-type) proposition?
- A.All roses are red.
- B.Some roses are red.
- C.No roses are blue.Correct
- D.Some roses are not red.
Solution
A Universal Negative (E-type) proposition denies that any member of one category is a member of another category. 'No roses are blue' fits this description.
Statements: Some cats are tigers. All tigers are animals. No animal is a stone. Conclusions: I. Some cats are animals. II. No tiger is a stone.
- A.Only I follows
- B.Only II follows
- C.Both I and II followCorrect
- D.Neither follows
Solution
Some cats are tigers, and all tigers are animals. So some cats are animals (Conclusion I follows). All tigers are animals, and no animal is a stone. So no tiger is a stone (Conclusion II follows).
Statements: Some apples are bananas. All bananas are oranges. Conclusions: I. All apples being oranges is a possibility. II. Some oranges are definitely apples.
- A.Only conclusion I followsCorrect
- B.Only conclusion II follows
- C.Both I and II follow
- D.Neither I nor II follows
Solution
Given that some apples are bananas and all bananas are oranges, it is possible for all apples to be oranges. However, we can't definitively say that some oranges are apples. Therefore, only conclusion I follows.
Statements: All pens are pencils. Some pencils are erasers. Conclusions: I. Some erasers are pens. II. Some pencils are pens. Choose the correct conclusion.
- A.Only conclusion I follows
- B.Only conclusion II followsCorrect
- C.Both I and II follow
- D.Neither I nor II follows
Solution
From the statement 'All pens are pencils', we can conclude 'Some pencils are pens'. The relationship between erasers and pens isn't directly established, so conclusion I doesn't necessarily follow. Therefore, only conclusion II follows.
Conclusions: I. Some pens are pencils. II. Some pencils are erasers. Which of the following statements would lead to the above conclusions?
- A.Statements: All pens are erasers. All erasers are pencils.
- B.Statements: Some pens are erasers. All erasers are pencils.
- C.Statements: All pens are erasers. Some erasers are pencils.
- D.Statements: Some pens are erasers. Some erasers are pencils.Correct
Solution
Conclusion I requires that 'pens' and 'pencils' have some overlap. Conclusion II requires that 'pencils' and 'erasers' have some overlap. Only option 4 directly supports both conclusions without requiring additional assumptions. If some pens are erasers, and some erasers are pencils, then it directly follows that some pens are pencils and some pencils are erasers.
Conclusions: I. Some A are B. II. All C are B. Which of the following set of statements would lead to the above conclusions?
- A.Statements: All A are C. All C are B.
- B.Statements: Some A are C. All C are B.Correct
- C.Statements: All A are B. Some B are C.
- D.Statements: Some A are B. All B are C.
Solution
Conclusion I requires some overlap between A and B. Conclusion II requires all C to be within B. If Some A are C, and All C are B, then it automatically follows that Some A are B and All C are B.
Statements: All trees are plants. Some plants are shrubs. Conclusions: I. All trees are shrubs. II. Some shrubs are trees.
- A.Only conclusion I follows
- B.Only conclusion II follows
- C.Both conclusions I and II follow
- D.Neither conclusion I nor II followsCorrect
Solution
The statements indicate that all trees are plants, and some plants are shrubs. However, there is no direct relationship established between trees and shrubs. Therefore, neither conclusion I (All trees are shrubs) nor conclusion II (Some shrubs are trees) can be definitively derived from the given statements.
Statements: All A are B. Some B are C. All C are D. Some D are E. Conclusions: I. Some E are C. II. Some A are D. III. Some B are D. IV. No A is E.
- A.Only I and II follow
- B.Only II and III follow
- C.Only III followsCorrect
- D.None follows
Solution
Given: All A are B, Some B are C, All C are D, Some D are E. I. 'Some E are C' - Not necessarily true. Only some D are E, and all C are D, so we cannot definitively say some E are C. II. 'Some A are D' - Not necessarily true. All A are B, some B are C, and all C are D, but the 'some' qualifier prevents us from concluding that some A are D. III. 'Some B are D' - True. Some B are C, and all C are D, so some B must be D. IV. 'No A is E' - Not necessarily true. There might be a relation but is not definite.
Syllogism — Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fastest method for syllogism questions?
Venn diagrams — draw the minimal diagram the statements force, and test each conclusion against it. For "possibility" conclusions, ask instead whether ANY valid diagram allows it.
When does an either-or answer apply?
When two conclusions are individually not certain but form a complementary pair — same subject and predicate, covering all cases between them (e.g. "some" + "no"). Then "either I or II follows".
How many Syllogism practice questions does Parikshala have for RRB NTPC?
91 exam-pattern Syllogism questions for RRB NTPC Reasoning, each with a step-by-step solution. Practice is free — no sign-up needed to start.